Edward Stourton: the press release from Lambeth Palace says \u201d\u02dchis [that is your] focus will be on supporting creative ways of renewing conversations in relationships around deeply held differences within the Church of England and the Anglican Communion\u2019<\/p>\n
Canon David Porter: Well I think we recognise that if the church is going to make any constructive contribution to the conflicts that are going on in our world then we need to look to ourselves and we need to be a people who are on a journey of Reconciliation who are modelling, not necessarily that we agree because it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that we are all going to agree, but that we hold our differences in a very Christian and constructive way<\/p>\n
ES: Well, doesn\u2019t this put a huge burden on your shoulders because the truth is that these tensions within the Anglican Communion and the Church of England have as you have just reflected in a way, have arisen because of very deeply held theological doctrinal disputes about questions like women bishops, like homosexuality, and it is difficult to see how one man by focussing on \u201d\u02dcprocess\u2019 can overcome those.<\/p>\n
Porter: Well in one sense it isn\u2019t my job to overcome those issues \u201d\u201c there are plenty of more intelligent more creative people who have lived and journeyed with these issues for quite a number of years. My job is actually to look at \u201d\u02dcprocess\u2019 \u201d\u201c it is to look at how we create the space for conversations to take place where people will still differ and they still will disagree but they will do so in a way that is able to say \u201d\u02dclook this is how Christians disagree, this is how we hold tensions and differences together\u2019<\/p>\n
ES: Except that on some of these issues people will believe that the disagreements go to the very heart of what it means to be a Christian<\/p>\n
Porter: that is true<\/p>\n
ES: so how can, how can a better \u201d\u02dcprocess\u2019 overcome that?<\/p>\n
Porter: well, in my background in Northern Ireland I used to say to people that if you are a fundamentalist protestant who believes that the catholic church are not Christian or if you are a strong catholic who believes there is no salvation outside the church and you\u2019re in that conversation, the reality is that Jesus still tells you to love the people that you perceive as your enemies and that shows that you are holding what you hold on to in a Christian way and are able to disagree within that commitment of Jesus teling us how we disagree” Canon David Porter: Good morning Ed<\/p>\n ES: and as I understand it your first target will be the home team \u201d\u201c your own church?<\/p>\n Porter: Well yes, the role is to help the Archbishop fulfil his commitment to making Reconciliation one of the key hallmarks of his service as Archbishop and he has invited Coventry Cathedral to take the lead in this. Of course he spent some time in Coventry Cathedral being on the Reconciliation team here so it is close to his heart and we are really privileged to be asked to do this.<\/p>\n ES: But so I am clear returning to my question, the press release from Lambeth Palace says \u201d\u02dchis [that is your] focus will be on supporting creative ways of renewing conversations in relationships around deeply held differences within the Church of England and the Anglican Communion\u2019<\/p>\n Porter: Well I think we recognise that if the church is going to make any constructive contribution to the conflicts that are going on in our world then we need to look to ourselves and we need to be a people who are on a journey of Reconciliation who are modelling, not necessarily that we agree because it doesn\u2019t necessarily mean that we are all going to agree, but that we hold our differences in a very Christian and constructive way<\/p>\n ES: Well, doesn\u2019t this put a huge burden on your shoulders because the truth is that these tensions within the Anglican Communion and the Church of England have as you have just reflected in a way, have arisen because of very deeply held theological doctrinal disputes about questions like women bishops, like homosexuality, and it is difficult to see how one man by focussing on \u201d\u02dcprocess\u2019 can overcome those.<\/p>\n Porter: Well in one sense it isn\u2019t my job to overcome those issues \u201d\u201c there are plenty of more intelligent more creative people who have lived and journeyed with these issues for quite a number of years. My job is actually to look at \u201d\u02dcprocess\u2019 \u201d\u201c it is to look at how we create the space for conversations to take place where people will still differ and they still will disagree but they will do so in a way that is able to say \u201d\u02dclook this is how Christians disagree, this is how we hold tensions and differences together\u2019<\/p>\n ES: Except that on some of these issues people will believe that the disagreements go to the very heart of what it means to be a Christian<\/p>\n Porter: that is true<\/p>\n ES: so how can, how can a better \u201d\u02dcprocess\u2019 overcome that?<\/p>\n Porter: well, in my background in Northern Ireland I used to say to people that if you are a fundamentalist protestant who believes that the catholic church are not Christian or if you are a strong catholic who believes there is no salvation outside the church and you\u2019re in that conversation, the reality is that Jesus still tells you to love the people that you perceive as your enemies and that shows that you are holding what you hold on to in a Christian way and are able to disagree within that commitment of Jesus teling us how we disagree<\/p>\n ES: Do you think that some senior members of the Anglican Communion have forgotten that basic fact in the way that they have conducted themselves in these debates?<\/p>\n Porter: I think all of us when we get caught up in conflicts that are deep to who we are and to the values that we hold on to \u201d\u201c we do forget that bigger voice from God that calls us to a different way of engaging with difference<\/p>\n Porter: and I am slightly pointing out something to you that you have already recognised but as you say unless you get this sorted out it is very difficult to see how the church can offer a model for reconciliation to other people isn\u2019t it?<\/p>\n DP: There is truth in that, but equally the church is also – we are fallible human beings, and the fact is that wherever you find conflict, there are times that you get it right and there are times that you get it wrong, and I think what is needed actually is honesty on behalf of the church, not over pretending that we can always get it right but being honest where we are actually failing to live up to what Christ calls us to<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Edward Stourton: the press release from Lambeth Palace says \u201d\u02dchis [that is your] focus will be on supporting creative ways of renewing conversations in relationships around deeply held differences within the Church of England and the Anglican Communion\u2019 Canon David…<\/span><\/p>\n
Listen to it all here<\/a> on the Sunday Program starting at 26 mins in for 4 minutes and an unofficial transcript is below
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\nEdward Stourton: The new Archbishop of Canterbury, Justin Welby has made his first appointment. Canon David Porter from Coventry Cathedral will be the first Director of Reconciliation at Lambeth Palace. Good morning.<\/p>\n